Tenaris : will supply the important gas pipeline Rota 3 for the Brazilian Pre-Salt

June 26, 2014

The 2014-2018 Petrobras Business Plan foresees the allocation of US$ 10 billion in the oil and gas sector, including projects related to pipelines for gas transportation from the Pre-Salt area, such as Rota 3. Last week Tenaris was awarded the supply in this important project and will provide, starting in the first half of 2015, 373 kilometers of welded pipes.

The scope of the project foresees 22-inch pipes for the onshore section between Maricá and Itaboraí, 24-inch pipes in the shallow offshore stretch, and 20-inch pipes in the stretch located in water depths varying from 1.5 to 2.3 thousand meters (4.9 to 7.5 thousand feet).

The pipes will be produced in the most advanced Tenaris production line in Brazil, the result of an investment of US$ 180 million. The new U-O forming presses produce pipes of greater thicknesses and higher steel grades, capable of withstanding the hostile environments in the exploration of ultra-deep waters, which include high pressures and the transportation of hydro carbonates in sour environments and high levels of corrosion.

Expected to be in operation by 2016/17, Rota 3 will link the areas of Franco (SP) and Maricá (RJ), assuring the increase of oil production from the Pre-Salt layer, and guaranteeing the transportation of natural gas extracted from the Pre-Salt to Comperj (RJ  Petrochemical Complex) in Itaboraí - a project in which Confab Equipamentos and Tenaris in Brazil participated with the supply of furnaces, towers and pipes. The gas pipeline will have the capacity to transport 21 million cubic meters of gas per day (m3/d).

"The Rota 3 project represents an important step in the development of the oil and gas sector in Brazil, especially with regards to Pre-Salt challenges. Tenaris has been preparing to be part of this project for a long time. We constantly invest in the innovation of our processes and in the diversification of our products, searching for excellence and for the technological leadership that our customers, such as Petrobras, demand to meet these challenges," says Tenaris's President in Brazil, Renato Catallini. "We also count on Usiminas as our strategic partner in Brazil, which will supply part of the X65 sour service steel, developed in partnership with Petrobras, reinforcing our commitment to local content and demonstrating the solidity and strength of our industrial value chain for the country's offshore energy sector".